Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

A design of the proposed renovation of St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre. Dublin City Council

Plans re-lodged for €100 million rejuvenation of St Stephen's Green Shopping Centre

The City Council last month declared a previous application to be invalid on two grounds.

DAVY ENTITY DTDL has re-lodged plans with Dublin City Council for the €100 million rejuvenation of St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre. 

DTDL Ltd has re-lodged the plans after the City Council last month declared a previous application to be invalid on two grounds.

The Council made the declaration after finding that the notices for the application did not comply with several articles under the Planning and Development Regulations. 

The Council also stated that the description of the scheme was insufficient for the information of the public and that the full nature and extent of the development must be stated in the notices. 

Now, in a revised planning notice, DTDL provides additional detail of what is proposed as part of the rejuvenation of the centre. 

The notice states that the eight storey building over basement will result in an overall height increase of 13.18 metres to 38.77 metres excluding the multi-storey car park which will give the proposal an overall height of 41.77 metres.

The notice states that a total gross floor area of 87,932sq/m is proposed, which includes a net reduction of retail floor area to 19,049sq/m, a net reduction of the existing cafe/restaurant uses to 1,740sq/m and a net reduction of bar uses to 789sq/m. 

The notice states that 35,043sq/m of offices and ancillary spaces are proposed and that the proposal will include a reconfigured internal mall opening onto St Stephen’s Green providing access to new and existing retail and cafe/restaurant units at ground and first floor.

Advancing the case for the redevelopment, a report lodged with the scheme last month stated that most retail units at the “outdated” and “underperforming” shopping centre are too small and the smaller units at the upper levels trade poorly and can operate only on short term leases. 

The scheme is to add two storeys to the existing six storey landmark shopping centre. 

The St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre was first opened in 1988 and the Davy entity has drawn up the plans after paying a reported €175 million for the centre on behalf of its clients in 2019. 

A report lodged on behalf of Davy Real Estate Investment and Management with the application has offered a candid assessment of the limitations of the “outdated” centre’s current design. 

An architectural design statement drawn up by architects for the ambitious plan, BKD architects has stated that since opening in 1988, the St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre has faced many difficulties in attracting sustainable retailers. 

The report stated that these include that most unit sizes are too small and the smaller shop units particularly those at the upper levels trade poorly and can operate only on short term leases. 

The report did say that the anchor tenant Dunne Stores, along with Boots and TK Maxx trade well. 

Now, as part of the plan, the DTDL Ltd scheme is to reconfigure the street level retail mall to allow for larger and enhanced quality shops. 

The statement has stated that “the symbiotic relationship between the proposed uses will ensure the successful delivery of a rejuvenated and enhanced city centre experience for retail trading, in combination with workplace and leisure uses”. 

BKD architects has stated that the plan is to deliver a vibrant and commercial sustainable use that  is capable of revitalising the surrounding streets; create a new city gateway and rejuvenate South King Street. 

Planning consultants for the scheme John Spain & Associates have stated that the existing building “has become outdated” and the proposal seeks to enhance a high quality shopping centre and office facility on a centrally located site.

Spain stated that the proposed mixed use scheme will provide for retail and cafe/restaurant/bar use across ground and first floor levels with office accommodation from 1st to 7th floor level.

The report states that the St Stephen’s Green Shopping Centre “is currently underperforming in its retail function and the proposal through the provision of medium sized units, which are currently in demand by higher order retailers, has the potential to significantly improve the retail offering in the area”. 

View 18 comments
Close
18 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tallaght two
    Favourite Tallaght two
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 7:32 AM

    I would not want to be in those towers with a fire on the floors below. Very frightening. How everyone got out ok.

    111
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Tallaght two
    Favourite Tallaght two
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 7:33 AM

    *hope

    37
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Radu Covrig
    Favourite Radu Covrig
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:12 AM

    The Torch tower caught fire. Unfortunate and ironic

    66
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sacha Mahady
    Favourite Sacha Mahady
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 8:44 AM

    Wow. Another skyscraper fire that burned for hours and did not result in a pinpoint collapse. And still people accept what cr@p is spouted about what happened to tower 7 on that horrible day in sept 11. Great to hear no one was badly hurt in this fire.

    57
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Reese
    Favourite John Reese
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 8:49 AM

    Did a 767 hit it though….duh no

    103
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Furey
    Favourite Paul Furey
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:06 AM

    With full tanks of thousands of tons of fuel.

    53
    See 8 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Horgay H
    Favourite Horgay H
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:08 AM

    Re Sacha

    Well said

    Re John

    Tower 7, a separate building to the two twin towers, was a 47 storey skyscraper. It received minimal superficial damage from parts of the plane and none of this damage was structural. Apparently the ‘fire’ that raged in a small part of the building caused the whole structure to suddenly collapse in freefall within a clue of seconds. Scientists are still baffled as to how this happened. It was investigated and a model put forward as to how it happened but this data will not be released by the government despite lots of requests and no one else can recreate the findings of the investigators re this.

    Tower 7, is the elephant in the room. It cannot be explained and anyone who believes the official conspiracy theory them please explain Tower 7.

    49
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Barry Cooper
    Favourite Barry Cooper
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:50 AM

    Twin towers were engineered to take a hit from the plane but don’t let facts get in the way. Building 7 fell and no plane hit that. Any thoughts on y that one fell

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alan b
    Favourite Alan b
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 10:01 AM

    Ah boys ye are away with the fairies!

    19
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Gary
    Favourite Gary
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 10:27 AM

    Paul, Scientific fact or Media coverage, you decide. The following information is easily found.
    Extremely high temperatures were evident before and after the destruction of the World Trade Center Twin Towers. Office and hydrocarbon fires burning in open air (~500° to 1,500° F) cannot reach temperatures in the range that iron or structural steel melts (2,700° F).
    Thermal images from NASA found temperatures at ground zero to be as high as 2,800F.
    Iron oxide and aluminum are the ingredients of classic thermite, an incendiary that burns at approximately 4500°F, producing aluminum oxide and molten iron. The carbon content of the ground zero metal indicates the presence of thermite.
    Thermal images taken by NASA and EarthData satellites show that the “hot spots” remained at the same locations. The phenomenon did not “move” across the site, like one would expect from fire as it consumes the fuel available in any one location.
    University of California professor Abolhassan Astaneh-Asl, the first structural engineer given access to the WTC steel notes, “I saw melting of girders at the World Trade Center.” Astaneh also “describes the connections [between supporting columns] as being smoothly warped: “That could only happen if you get steel yellow hot or white hot – perhaps around 2,000 degrees.’”.

    17
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andy Byrne
    Favourite Andy Byrne
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 11:36 AM

    Where was the plane that hit the pentagon? Or the field? Look at the pics!!

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Whelan
    Favourite James Whelan
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 1:25 PM

    The difference between conspiracy theorists these days and those from the past is that today the so called ‘Tin foil hat ‘ merchants have all the scientific facts to back up their arguments.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sacha Mahady
    Favourite Sacha Mahady
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 3:05 PM

    No John it did not. I would say it was hit with about the same amount of plane as tower 7 though. I’m not here to educate you. Do your own research before you talk nonsense.
    Separately the energy from the aviation fuel would have burnt out within a few minutes leaving only paper and desks to burn the rest. Computers and copiers don’t make great fire wood. Convenient that a un burnt passport which was apparently on the body of one of the terrorists was found at ground zero in near perfect condition too. The fact is that in every case possible. Everything falls at the line of least resistance. And the line of least resistance is not straight down through reinforced columns.

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stephen Earle
    Favourite Stephen Earle
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 3:33 PM

    Sacha, they dont build towers with the same method of construction like the World Trade Center anymore so referring to it is ill informed

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Lloyd Hetherington
    Favourite Lloyd Hetherington
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:27 AM

    That’s what you get when you use slave labour!

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Neal Ireland Hello
    Favourite Neal Ireland Hello
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 12:30 PM

    I doubt that the architects were slaves.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Charlie Mountney
    Favourite Charlie Mountney
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:31 AM

    Well said Lloyd. Another ultra conservative Middle Eastern shitehole.

    13
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Paul Cassidy
    Favourite Paul Cassidy
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:45 AM

    John…you implying a 767 hit tower 7? No plane hit tower 7.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Favourite Micheal S. O' Ceilleachair
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 11:40 AM

    Remember the Towering Inferno. Good film.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Vaibhav Borse
    Favourite Vaibhav Borse
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 9:17 AM

    i didn’t know Dubai had a torch!!

    4
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute space invader
    Favourite space invader
    Report
    Feb 21st 2015, 5:47 PM

    A few less windows for the window cleaners to clean Monday morning

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds